


Summer Rites

by Hexametaphosphate



Series: Shingeki no Anthology [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, M/M, a little bit of Armin's adorable bookworm-ness, and sweaty guys working out, lots and lots of fluff, sweaty reiner sweatier bert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-14
Updated: 2013-09-14
Packaged: 2017-12-26 13:10:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/966308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexametaphosphate/pseuds/Hexametaphosphate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which two teenagers try not to grow up too fast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Rites

**Author's Note:**

> Forever spelling Bert's name as Bertholdt and not Bertolt because I feel like it. Fight me.

After having already spent one heated season in training it wasn't much of a surprise the kind of difficulty the stifling heat would cause during their second summer. The later part of July was always the worst. But this year the two rivers that cradled the training grounds were wide and swollen after an uncharacteristic two weeks of heavy rain. The grounds were barely dried— in fact 'dried' seemed too strong a word, and whatever moisture that had escaped the mud seemed to be sucked into the air and multiplied tenfold, baring down on the cadets and commanding officers without any discrimination during training a week after the last shower fell. The sweltering heat grew to such a degree that even Shadis, as strong-willed and steadfast as he was, opted for the comfort of his office, leaving the trainees in the capable hands of seasoned soldiers who had already put in their time as mud crawlers.

Even they found it hard to chastise under the sun's glare.

A handful of cadets had clearly disregarded their training, others continued halfheartedly; only a select few still dedicated themselves to the cause, pushing past every torrid degree the sun dared to raise. Looking out across the muddied grounds, Bertholdt's mind wandered off in the direction of leisure, catching a glimpse of Annie tucked away under the shade of a tree with Armin while discussing one of the boy's new books. Armin had boasted about it to him this morning and now seemed like the perfect time to grow increasingly curious about its contents. The knees pressing into his toes pushed with more force and brought his attention back to the exercise at hand.

"Forty more." Reiner spoke plainly, exasperated by the humidity paired with the high heat index, more than ready to call it a day but too hard-working to skip their training. He held Bertholdt to the same standards he held himself, a thoughtless act on Reiner's part though its effect was profound.

A new wave of determination breathed through Bertholdt and his fingers laced more solidly behind his head as he raised up to his knees again, sinking into a comfortable pace. "Eye's forward," Reiner chastised when his attention siezed at the sound of Eren and Jean in another shouting match. Something akin to a smirk showed itself on Bertholdt's lips when he met Reiner's gaze again, who returned the gesture.

"Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine—"

Bertholdt returned quickly at the end of the niney-ninth sit-up with a hormone-fueled boost, determined to catch Reiner by surprise— and effectively doing so— with a kiss. It was physically chaste but tasted devious and suggestive, salty from the sweat that poured out of both of them under the impossibly hot sun. Reiner grinned, the expression widening as lengthy arms slid around his neck and tugged him towards the mud when Bertholdt fell back. "One hundred," the blonde murmured, eyeing those plush lips before him and contemplating another kiss.

Shouts across the field from Shadis decided for him.

Humidity stuck all through the rest of the day and into the night, much to Reiner's disappointment. Returning to the grounds after lunch, a handful of stragety classes, and dinner, the air still clung to him like a second skin he was itching to take off. He barely caught himself scratching at one of the 3D maneuver gear straps in vain. Moonlight bathed the flattened terrain, deserted a word to describe it were it not for two resolute conscripts. Reiner zeroed in on the only other form occupying the atmosphere, nose buried in a book by the light of one lonely gas lamp.

"Eren and Jean are definitely fucking." The words pull Bertholdt out of the nook of a universe he holds in his hands. The same book Armin had excitedly spoke about that morning and shared with Annie hours later during training. "I caught them on the way here."

Bertholdt gave the piece of information a dismissive shrug as Reiner joined him on the bench. "They're obvious. The last time I watched them fight they were practically drooling on each other's names." When Reiner laughed at this Bertholdt smiled and glanced at the table where he'd quickly found Reiner's hand underneath and laced their fingers together. "The whole 104th knows."

Reiner yawned and rested his head against Bertholdt's shoulder, Bertholdt resting his head against its crown in turn. "Is it a good book? Armin says it is but he says that about every book."

"The Good Earth." The dark haired boy tightened his grip on the fingers they held captive in a loving gesture of sorts, to which the blonde responded with his own comforting squeeze. "It's a story about a peasant farmer in China. It's slow paced but it fits the narrative."

He's used to Bertholdt's clammy grip, but the summer night reinforces the sensation. Reiner can feel him sweat through the thin cotton sleeve at his shoulder as the blonde nuzzles there. Not that it really matters, Reiner wordlessly regards to himself. He doesn't mind the brackish taste when they meet under the stars and kiss everything housed in flesh.

"Annie likes Armin."

"Who doesn't?" Bertholdt sighed in response. The dark haired boy breaks away from their hand-holding and moved his fingers into Reiner's short locks, just long enough to get a decent grip. He thinks about Reiner's next hair cut and how he's starting to dread the notion. He tugged Reiner's head to the side and pressed tender kisses to the resulting exposed neck as he noted aloud, "Everyone likes Armin."

Reiner swallowed thickly around the knot quickly forming in his throat, shutting his eyes to focus on the loud feeling of lips on heated skin. "Do you like Armin?"

"As much as the next person." His answer came smoothly in response. The lips at Reiner's neck seemed to be working dangerously well against his cognitive skills. "Let's eat breakfast with Armin tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Cicadas buzzed boorishly through the night and barely quieted in the morning hours. Sleepy cadets reluctantly rose from their slumbers and took useless showers, made their beds and followed their growling stomachs to the mess hall. All things considered the food wasn't half bad, but it did leave much to be desired. Any complaints they might have had that morning died instantly at the sight of meat on the menu. Somewhere in the distance Sasha is crooning a soft praise for sausage and it's loud enough to send Armin, Reiner, and Bertholdt into a laughing fit at their table situated in the corner of the hall.

There it is again, Bertholdt thinks fondly to himself. That loud, thunderous laughter.

"I like it." Bertholdt chewed thoughtfully at a bite of sausage, pondering his stance on the subject of The Good Earth. "It's a deceivingly plain story. I feel like the whole thing is a metaphor."

Armin smiled at this, his eyes lighting up with something pure and unadulterated. The short blonde launches into a literary analysis and swiftly captures Bertholdt's attention; unbothered, Reiner listens to the chatter without really listening. He's more intent on studying the towering man next to him, softly passionate in his words exchanged with Armin. He's excited. It's not like Armin's incredibly there and incredibly obvious ardor, plainly communicated through the tone of his voice and the movements his hands make. It's a quiet amplification in the way the corners of his lips move while he speaks, the lean in his posture towards Armin as he interjects, the soft light that enters his dark eyes when they both agree.

"All morning!" Reiner exclaimed, recalling their morning during afternoon training, the breath in his words making them seem huskier than usual. In the midst of a set of low plank dips he couldn't help it. Planks were one of the few exercises Reiner deemed a challenge. Shooting a glance over at his partner didn't help. "You're not even finished with the book either, and he gave you three more."

Bertholdt laughed at his words, switching from plank dips to plank rocks deftly enough to make Reiner momentarily envious. "Mmh, sounds like someone's jealous," he murmured calmly, sneaking a glance at Reiner and appreciating his show of humanity. Reiner was strong but even he had his obstacles.

"No," Reiner countered quickly, following Bertholdt's change in movements, but his weren't nearly as graceful. Bertholdt actually laughed though he desperately tried not to and Reiner shot him an evil glare that barely subdued it. "I'm just... impressed, by you," he spoke into the following silence.

Somewhere along the river's edge frogs croaked their own conversations.

"You're so smart and sometimes I forget just how much." When he speaks again he's halted his work out and perched on his his kneess, something like awe expressed on his face. "When you were spitting philosophy back and forth with Armin over breakfast it just hit me. And don't even get me started on how fucking adorable you were," he lifted his gaze out of reverie and toward Bertholdt, sprawled on his side and head propped on a hand as he listened, "still are."

The smile on Bertholdt's lips is as genuine as they come, but his gaze comes across mischievously, one long leg extended with the other bent to give his palm a resting place. "I'm flattered, Reiner, really," he sighed. "You're not so bad yourself, tiger."

Reiner buried his face in his hands and makes a strangled noise into them. "You're doing that on purpose!" he cried promptly afterwards, dragging his hands down as if it were agonizing. "I'm going to maul you in a fashion reminiscent of the animal you've just called me."

Bertholdt scoffed. "Oh, poor me."

As the afternoon passed, the humid heat began dissipate, the damp earth the only sign rain had dared to fall in July. When Reiner found Bertholdt at the training grounds that night he was once again lost in the pages of a book. He didn't interrupt him so rudely this time, instead slipping onto the bench and clasping his arms around Bertholdt's waist from the side. Bertholdt smiled, the kind of smile that crinkled up his nose and often was followed by a laugh that borderlined on turning into a giggle. Reiner reveled in the impossibly fetching reaction and nuzzled into his neck.

"Is this what you meant by 'mauled'?" the dark haired boy taunted, to which Reiner simply grunted in response. "You should read this, sometime. Maybe tomorrow I'll reread it with you." He turned in his seat, forcing Reiner out of his comfortable position at his shoulder, and tipped his chin upwards with a forefinger to capture his lips in a gentle kiss. "Ah, yes, I'll read it aloud to you."

"What if I fall asleep because I find it so boring?"

"I'll wake you up."

Reiner opened his eyes then, staring at the face still poised close enough to steal another kiss. There's a smirk curling the corners of those lips and suddenly Bertholdt isn't a teenager anymore. He's a full-fledged man, and every day spent training under hot suns and rainy clouds and bitter winds has made that man. The days that follow will continue to shape him until the child he once was finally disperses into unchronicled history. The relevation both satisfies and discontents Reiner.

"Hey, Bert," he finally manages to croak, swallowing in a nearly audible fashion. Bertholdt's brow quirks curiously and Reiner tightens his arms around the man's middle. "Does Armin have a book with fairytales? Like the ones we used to read back home, the ones your mom would tell us every night."

The question catches Bertholdt off guard. "Um, yeah. He has a whole collection, mentioned it a few weeks ago. I even carried one of them around for a couple days. Why?"

"Let's read that tomorrow. I'll read The Good Earth on my own."

It hits him then, why Reiner brought up fairytales, and he can't help the pensive smile that spreads on his lips. "You say I'm smart, and that impresses you, but I don't know why because you're just as smart," Bertholdt confesses softly. His hands move to cup Reiner's face affectionately, brushing the pads of his thumbs across the strong cheek bones just beneath the surface. There's not a trace of baby fat left.

They really are growing up. Here in this desolate place, where so many have passed through and lived short lives. Here in this dreary place, where some never had the chance to fall in love or get drunk or have sex. How long would it be before the memories of their childhood begin to fade? Would they even last long enough to get there? It wasn't important, whether or not they got _that_ far, but some things were. Some things were so devastatingly crucial to them in that moment that they couldn't put it off for long. Graduation was around the corner and that only brought closer the day they'd find themselves in the depths of a battle with no end in sight, a place where no one's lives were guaranteed no matter the measure of their strength.

"I love you," Bertholdt whispers into the night, letting his hands slip down to rest at either side of Reiner's neck.

Reiner answers with a soft, longing kiss— far more delicate than any kiss they'd shared.

"I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write something for Reiner and Bert since forever, and upon seeing the gif set where the guy kisses his partner at the end of a sit-up I was instantly inspired to make it (fictionally) happen. I wrote this one even faster than the last one. The Bravery's self-titled album also helped immensely and thanks to this piece I'm into them as much as I used to be. Why is there so little room left on my iPod, why me?
> 
> Anyways yeah here you go. I almost made this smutty but decided for cute and fluffy. I'll probably do that, sometime, whenever, you know. 
> 
> Who should I do next? Fluff or porn?!


End file.
